WE
KNOW ... Australia now knows what we've always known,
Townsville's Strand is the cleanest beach in the country.

We have the cleanest beach in OzBy ROBERTA MANCUSO19feb04

TOWNSVILLE
has long known it has the best beach in Australia but now the rest of
the country knows it too.

The Strand
was yesterday named Australia's Cleanest Beach as part of the Keep Australia
Beautiful Australian Clean Beach Challenge.

The
award, which put Townsville City Council "over the moon", took into account
how effectively the community used the space, levels of visitor friendliness
and hospitality, plant and wildlife management, activities for youth and
conservation measures.

Keep
Australia Beautiful board chairwoman Molly Robson said The Strand's status
as a Townsville icon at the heart of civic and community activity had
helped it clinch the title of Australia's Cleanest Beach.

"The
Strand has become a major, all-age recreational focus for close to three
million visitors each year," she said.

"It
offers excellent visitor hospitality with its day and evening use facilities
which include four beaches, two surf lifesaving clubs, freshwater swimming
pool, a water play area and children's playgrounds.

"These
and many other features make The Strand a deserving winner of the Australian
title."

Deputy
Mayor Ann Bunnell was in Redcliffe yesterday to accept the award.

"I'm
over the moon," she said. "We see The Strand as the people's place of
Townsville so this is really telling the rest of the country this is the
best beach in Australia."